


When I fall in Love - The Pendragon Boys 6

by dragonflyMerri



Series: The Pendragon Boys [6]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-23
Updated: 2012-04-23
Packaged: 2017-11-04 05:22:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/390225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonflyMerri/pseuds/dragonflyMerri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Pendragon Boys fall in love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When I fall in Love - The Pendragon Boys 6

**COLIN ******

Colin walked into the school gymnasium where preparations were in full swing for the final dance of the year before graduation. For this dance, the younger students were in charge of preparations as a surprise for the senior class. As a senior, he technically shouldn’t be here, but he was still head of the Arts Club, who were doing the decorations, so he had popped in to check that everything was proceeding well.

The gym was a swarm of people, props, light swags and ladders. Colin wandered through the clutter, receiving reprimands and reminders that he shouldn’t be there from just about everyone he encountered.

Amidst the racket, he heard the sound of someone singing and turned towards the sound. Stepping around a prop archway, he saw a girl standing amidst a tangle of lights. She had her back to him and was swaying and shimmying to the song she was singing, her long brown hair, held aloft in a ponytail, was flicking back and forth, and Colin could see the ear buds that were feeding her the music that no one else could hear.

Colin grinned, folded his arms and settled himself to watch and listen. She had a great voice and her arse wasn’t bad either as it bobbed back and forth in time to the beat. Colin knew everyone in the Arts Club, but he didn’t recognize her. For this dance, a few non-Club students were helping out and she was obviously one of those.

Her song reached the chorus and she flung her hands in the air and her whole body joined in the swaying. She turned around in the dance, eyes closed, lost in the song. When she was facing Colin, she opened her eyes and stopped dead.

Colin and the girl stood staring at each other and Colin forgot to breath. Brilliant blue eyes stared back at him in surprise, her mouth paused in mid lyric. Then she smiled at him and burst into a laugh of embarrassment, dropping her arms and pulling out her ear buds. 

Colin remembered to breath again and grinned back at her like a loon.

“It’s not nice to spy on people when they’re embarrassing themselves.” Her voice was like liquid moonlight.

“I heard you singing. You’re very good.”

“Thank you.” She held out a hand. “My name’s Nimuah, and who might you be?

“Colin.” He reached out and shook her hand. “Head of the Arts Club. Thank you for helping out.”

“Ahh, you’re the famous Colin Pendragon, artist extraordinaire. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Colin laughed in chagrin. “And I know nothing about you.”

Nimuah shrugged with a smile and held out a light strand to him to hold while she untangled it. “I’m a junior. I transferred here a couple of months ago when my parents moved from Avalon. Henry invited me to help with the decorations as a way of meeting people. It’s kind of hard transferring schools in mid-term.”

“I’m glad you came.” Colin smiled. “That song you were singing, it’s Death Cab for Cutie.”

“You know them?” Nimuah looked surprised. “Most people I know don’t know them.”

“They’re one of my favourite groups.”

The two of them worked together untangling the rest of lights while comparing musical tastes, discovering they liked many of the same non-mainstream bands.

“Are you coming to the dance?” Colin asked.

Nimuah smiled ruefully and shook her head. “I don’t really know many people yet. I don’t really fancy being a wallflower hanging out at the back of the room watching everyone else having a good time.”

“Come with me. I’m going by myself. Be my date.”

“Your date?” Nimuah looked at him with wide blue eyes and Colin felt himself falling into them. “You don’t have a date? A girlfriend?”

“No date and between girlfriends at the moment. So be my date.”

“But I’m a junior.”

“And I’m a Capricorn – what does that matter?”

Nimuah threw her head back and laughed, and Colin felt himself falling for her even more. “You are very strange, Colin Pendragon, artist extraordinaire. Will you be inviting me up to see your etchings next?”

“No need, they’re all around.” Colin swept his hand around to the various artwork scattered around the gym. “But I’m serious. Nimuah…um???”

“Lake, Nimuah Lake.”

“Nimuah Lake, would you do me the honour of being my date for the dance?”

“It would be my pleasure, Colin Pendragon.” 

Nimuah smiled up at Colin, and for just a moment, he swore he saw the moon in her eyes. 

 

The next night Colin walked into the den to say goodnight to his parents before heading out to pick up Nimuah and go to the dance. The fathers looked up at him and Merlin whistled in appreciation.

“Wow. Looking very sharp, Colin!” Merlin approved.

Arthur grinned at his youngest son.

“Your date’s a lucky lady. You look great, son.”

Colin smiled back at his fathers, a faint blush staining his high cheekbones. “Actually, I think I’m the lucky one,” he said softly. 

Colin looked at Merlin and his blush increased. “Papa, I think I see the moon.”

Merlin’s breath hitched as he looked back at his son. He read his eyes then nodded. “I’m looking forward to meeting her,” he said, swallowing a lump in his throat.

When Colin left the room, Arthur looked at Merlin.

“What was he talking about – seeing the moon?”

Merlin smiled back at him, then reached up and kissed Arthur’s cheek. “It’s what I see when I look in your eyes.”

 

A few months later, just before graduation, Colin followed his Papa into the bedroom, holding a laundry hamper full of clean clothes. They worked together putting the clothes away.

“Papa, can I talk to you about something?”

“I thought we were talking,” Merlin said absently, hanging up a shirt in the closet.

“No, I mean – _talk _”__

Merlin turned and saw the serious expression on his son’s face. “Oh, _talk _. Sure. What’s on your mind?”__

“It’s about Nimuah. I’m crazy about her, Papa. I’ve never felt like this about anyone else before. She fills up a place inside of me that I didn’t even know was empty.”

Merlin smiled. “She’s a very nice girl. Dad and I both like her a lot.”

“Yeah, well.” Colin sat on the bed, abandoning the laundry. “The thing is, I see the moon in her eyes Papa.” 

Colin looked up at his father and Merlin read all the love that was there. Merlin swallowed at the enormity of it. Years ago, when Colin had first discovered girls, Merlin had talked to him about falling in love and the importance of waiting for the right person before making a physical commitment. Merlin had told Colin that true love would take him to the moon with happiness, and to wait until he found the moon in his partner’s eyes.

Merlin sat beside his son. “You’re sure?”

Colin nodded. “And so is Nimuah. We want to, Papa. She’s the one.”

“Okay then. Promise me that you’ll use protection.”

“We will. We both know we’re too young to be parents.”

Merlin smiled. “One final piece of advice?”

Colin squinted at him. “Is this gonna be a sex talk?”

“Not sex, love. Because this is going to be the first time for both of you, you owe it to her and yourself to make it something special. When you’re with her, forget about yourself and focus all your attention on her, make her feel like the most precious girl in the world. Show her your love, by taking the time love her properly. Make her pleasure your goal. Take her to the moon and when you go along on the ride, I promise you it will be the most memorable time you could hope for.”

Colin grinned at him and butted his shoulder into his father. “Jeez Papa, you are such a romantic!” 

Merlin butted back. “Just promise me.”

“I promise. Nimuah was worth waiting for. I want this to be amazing for both of us.”

 

The following Sunday, Merlin and Arthur were sitting at the kitchen table discussing the plans for the day when Colin stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen. He looked like he’d just tumbled out of bed. He was still in his pyjamas and his hair was sticking out in the most remarkable angles. He stumbled to the fridge, pulled out a carton of juice then headed to his Papa, slinging an arm around him and kissing the top of his head.

Merlin looked up in surprise.

Colin grinned back at him with a blinding smile. “The moon, Papa! The moon, the stars and the freaking universe!”

Then he stumbled out of the kitchen and back upstairs.

Arthur frowned after him. “What the hell was that about? And he took the entire carton of apple juice.”

Merlin sat biting his lip, fighting his own blinding grin.

“What was he talking about – the stars and the universe?”

“Just this.” Merlin got up and walked over to Arthur. He pushed his chair out and straddled Arthur’s lap. Then he cupped Arthur’s face and leaned in and kissed him in the sexiest, filthiest way he could. When he finished the kiss, Arthur looked stunned.

“What the hell, Merlin?” he asked hoarsely.

“Your son found his moon. Just like I find the moon and the stars and the whole freaking universe in your eyes, my Arthur.”

Arthur’s eyes darkened with desire. He loved it when Merlin called him ‘my Arthur.”

Arthur abruptly stood, nearly tumbling a squawking Merlin on the floor. He caught him just in time. Then, clutching his hand, he dragged him up the stairs to their room.

In the upstairs hallway, they passed a half-awake Jamie, home from university for the weekend. Jamie looked at them in confusion.

“What are you - ”

“Your father and I are going to be busy for the next hour,” Arthur called back to him as he opened the bedroom door. He thrust a laughing Merlin inside the room and slammed and locked the door. 

They just heard their son grousing, “Aw come on! Jeez, it’s Sunday morning!”

 

*********

**JAMIE ******

Jamie stood in the cafeteria line up and absent frown on his face as he thought about the final he just finished. His stomach was churning from the stress of the exam. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he erupted in a loud burp.

Face flaming in embarrassment, he was just about to look around to see if anyone heard, when behind him, someone burped longer and louder.

Jamie spun around and was surprised to find a petite young woman looking back at him with a big grin.

“Better out than in, as Shrek would say,” she said around that grin.

“Excuse me?” Jamie asked astonished.

In response, she let out another burp. Jamie gaped at her.

“I’m Mithian, but my friends call me Milly”

“Mithian?”

“Old family name,” she responded, scrunching up her nose. “Apparently it means moonlight in some ancient language.”

Mithian cocked her head and looked back at him. She had laughing brown eyes and long, silky brown hair.

“And you are???”

Jamie grinned at her. “James Arthur, but my friends call me Jamie.”

Mithian held out her hand to shake. “How do you do, Jamie of the brilliant burp”

As Jamie took her hand to shake it, for the first time in his entire life, he fell wholly, magnificently, gloriously, head over heels in love.


End file.
